Improvement in supports for carriage-tops



A. GOODYEAR.

SUPPORTS- FOR CARRIAGE TOPS.

No.186,.555. l I Patented J'atn zB, 1877.

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ANDREW GOODYEAR, OF ALBION, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN SU PPOR TS FOR CARI-\IAGE-TQPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 186,555, dated January23, 1877; application filed December 18, 1876. I

To all whomnlt may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW GOODYEAR, of Albion, in the county of Calhounand State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSpring Props for Buggy- Tops, of which the following is a specification:

Formerly the tops of buggies rested, in their folded condition, uponrigid arms projecting laterally from the body. Of late spring-buffershave been attached to these arms to afford .a yielding support to thetop; and in practice itis found desirable to so construct and con- .nectthese buffers that their pads, upon which the top is to rest, will besome distance in rear of the arms.

My invention consists in the use of a leafspring formed with a returncurve, in such a manner that the free end shall be the requireddistance, sayabont four inches, in rear of the arm, andproviding thesleeve, which ordinarily encircles the arm, and to which the spring issecured, with a lateral brace for giving sup port to the spring directlyunder its free end.

In the annexed drawing, Figure I is a perspective View otmy improvement.Fig. II is a vertical longitudinal section thereof.

The. same letters of reference are used in both figures in thedesignation of identical parts.

The sleeve A, which is to encircle the arm of the buggy-body, isconstructed with a laterally-projecting brace, B, terminating in a loop,b. The buffer consists of a leaf-spring, 0, having a return curve of theform clearly shown in the drawing, and carrying at its free end a rest,D, rigidly secured to it. The fixed end of the spring passes throughloop b of brace B, and is fastened on the sleeve A by a screw, c. r

The construction described afi'ords several important advantages overany spring-buffers of this kind heretofore used for this purpose.

It will be understood that the top would be subjected to much wear onthe pad D if itmoved with a rubbing action thereon. .To prevent this itwas found necessary in the old form of these buffers to hinge the pads,that they might accommodate themselves to the top. The action of myspring is, on the contrary, such that the pad will move so nearly inunison with the top that it can be rigidly secured. Again, the curvedform of the spring affords the opportunity of giving a support directlyunder the pad.

The rest D may be more or less curved; but I prefer to make itsubstantially as shown, so

-a s to confine the top laterally and prevent 7

